Oversampling
As of The God Particle's first anniversary updates (rolled out in v1.2.2 in May 2023), a range of oversampling options are available within the plug-in settings
window. But what exactly is oversampling, and do you need to use it?
What is oversampling?
In its simplest terms, oversampling allows you to work with audio at a higher sample rate. Without going too in-depth, the Nyquist Theorem dictates that you can only process audio frequencies up to half of the sample rate you're working at - for example, using a sample rate of 48kHz gives you a frequency range of up to 24kHz. That means that with an oversampling rate of x2 enabled, the sample rate becomes 96kHz - giving you a frequency range of 48kHz to work with.
However, seeing as the human ear can only detect up to a maximum of around 20kHz, why would you need to open up access to these higher frequencies?
Why should I use oversampling?
When processing introduces spectral components at a frequency above half of the sample rate, these will be mirrored to lower frequencies - a phenomenon known as aliasing. Too much aliasing can result in a mix sounding overly digital or tinny.
By increasing the sample rate, oversampling can help reduce aliasing and produce a transparent, more accurate sound. It can also improve the effectiveness of digital processing tools and provide a clearer sonic field to work with.
What are the downsides?
Working at a higher sample rate using oversampling requires a higher amount of processing power, so you can expect an incremental increase in CPU usage the higher the oversampling value. Similarly, there will be a small increase in your project's latency as you engage oversampling.
As always, we recommend testing The God Particle with our 14-day free trial to make sure that it's compatible with your setup.